Metro increases bus service on some routes, reduces others

King County Metro Transit is ready to roll out the first of its six RapidRide lines, along with other new bus routes, and schedule and routing adjustments. All are part of Metro’s fall service change that begins Saturday, Oct. 2.
Locally, revisions to Metro routes serving the Kirkland area include:
• Route 245 – During the midday and early evening peak period, frequency will improve to every 15 minutes.
• Route 255 – Six morning peak-period trips to downtown Seattle that previously began at the Kirkland Transit Center will now begin at the Totem Lake Transit Center, Bay 2. Also, four afternoon peak-period trips that ended at the Kirkland Transit Center will be extended to the Totem Lake Transit Center. These trips will not serve the Kingsgate and Brickyard park-and-rides.
• Route 265 – Three trips will be added during each weekday peak period, and there are some routing revisions in downtown Seattle.
Metro is making some scheduling and routing changes this fall to save money, preserve bus service, and operate more efficiently. In some cases, you may notice differences in the schedule for your route, along with longer wait times for transfers or irregular spacing between bus trips. Unfortunately, due to reduced sales-tax revenue for transit, Metro also had to eliminate some trips on designated routes. These trip reductions were chosen to minimize the disruption for bus riders whenever possible.
Bus riders should check fall schedules for the routes they use most often to see what’s new. They can prepare by picking up a new orange timetable, Special Rider Alert brochure, or use the online Trip Planner for some advance research. Be sure to input a date of Oct. 2 or later, when using the Trip Planner.
Also on Oct. 2, the RapidRide “A Line” debuts to replace Route 174 between the Federal Way Transit Center and Tukwila International Boulevard Link light rail station. The A Line will provide 15-minute service most of the day, with 10-minute service during peak commute periods. On Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 2 and 3, all trips will be free on the A Line.

Additional RapidRide lines debuting over the next three years will serve busy transit corridors in West Seattle, Ballard, Bellevue, Redmond, Shoreline, Burien, Tukwila, and Renton.
Metro updates its routes and scheduling three times a year to improve service and keep up with the changing needs of transit customers. Bus riders can find all the fall changes detailed in the Special Rider Alert brochure, which will soon be in Metro information racks and has been posted online. New orange timetables will soon be available on buses and in Metro displays. The information is also in the online Trip Planner at www.kingcounty.gov/tripplanner. Enter a travel date of Oct. 2 or later to find the updated service.
Beyond bus service, Metro’s Rideshare Services provides resources for carpooling, vanpooling or vansharing. Carpooling and vanpooling match people traveling to common destinations. VanShare helps those who need to make a connection to or from bus service. You can VanShare from home and connect to your bus, or use VanShare from the bus stop or park-and-ride lot to complete a trip to work.
For information about all the services Metro provides, visit Metro Online at www.kingcounty.gov/metro, or call Metro Customer Information at (206) 553-3000.